Bex Partridge, Botanical Tales, Kurt Vonnegut, Hermes Petit h, and more on Weekend Meanderings.
WEEKEND MEANDERINGS
Good Saturday morning to you friends. It’s time for Weekend Meanderings with Kim and Juliet! This is our weekly series where we share all of the things that piqued our interests and caught our eye.
Speaking of which did you catch Juliets post about the Ritz Carleton Yacht Evrima? Be sure to check it out, just in case you are thinking of taking a luxury cruise because Juliet shared the ups/downs and highs/lows. Don’t you just love an honest review?
It is a sad day for fashion lovers, Iris Apfel passed away yesterday at 102! Rest in peace Iris and thank you for inspiring us to be original.
Can you even believe it is March? Spring is just around the corner and on March 10th we will “spring ahead” to more daylight each day.
Kurt Vonnegut~Unlocking
Over the last few weeks I have mentioned the weather several times, it is hard to tell from one day to the next if it is Winter or Spring.
Guess what, it’s neither. I recently came across this article and it explained it all. According to Kurt Vonnegut there are 6 seasons and March and April are called Unlocking and November is called Locking. These are the “seasons” in-between the 4 seasons that we all know, Spring, Summer, Winter and Fall. The in-between where we can’t decide if we should be wearing shorts or a parka.
In 1978, Vonnegut gave the commencement speech at Fredonia State College in New York, here is an excerpt from the speech where he explains the seasons.
“One sort of optional thing you might do is to realize that there are six seasons instead of four. The poetry of four seasons is all wrong for this part of the planet, and this may explain why we are so depressed so much of the time. I mean, spring doesn’t feel like spring a lot of the time, and November is all wrong for autumn, and so on.
Here is the truth about the seasons: Spring is May and June. What could be springier than May and June? Summer is July and August. Really hot, right? Autumn is September and October. See the pumpkins? Smell those burning leaves? Next comes the season called Locking. November and December aren’t winter. They’re Locking. Next comes winter, January and February. Boy! Are they ever cold!
What comes next? Not spring. ‘Unlocking’ comes next. What else could cruel March and only slightly less cruel April be? March and April are not spring. They’re Unlocking.”
What do you think? Have you ever read or heard of Unlocking?
One to Follow~Bex Partridge Floral Artist
Spring is the time of the year we buy seeds and plan our gardens. If we are lucky and the deer haven’t eaten them, we harvest some flowers to make arrangements for our tables or to gift to friends and family. But this year why not preserve a few and make something beautiful with the dried flowers, herbs and leaves from our gardens? Take some advice from Bex and create something dried and amazing.
This week while perusing English garden designs I discovered Bex Partridge. Bex is a dried flower artist, author and owner of Botanical Tales. Based in Devon, England Bex creates sustainable displays and installations using dried flowers. She also teaches workshops on Create Academy and and in person.
Bex works with dried flowers throughout their entire lifecycle; from seed to plant to harvest, and then on to drying and arranging. “Her designs are wild, whimsical with a focus on seasonality and always free of any human intervention (no dying, bleaching or sprayed blooms), reflecting the natural world around us and offering the chance to bring nature into our spaces, however big or small.”
You can read more about Bex and her work on her blog see her most recent work on Instagram and read her most recent book, Flowers Forever.
Be sure to visit Botanical Tales to see her flower strings, installations and wreaths, they are all amazing.
Forever Flowers
Packed to the brim with information on dried flowers, the book includes a section on the process of growing, drying, and working with flowers that last, plus guidance on textures, tones, and colors and advice on how to source materials sustainably.
This is a book for those who question the origin and sustainability of all we consume and are seeking to educate themselves while creating these beautiful projects.
Pre-loved and Re-Loved~Hermes Petit H & Coach
I think at one point or another many of us have owned Coach handbags, I’ve had a few in my lifetime. I haven’t purchased one in about 25 years but recently I read about Coach Re-Loved and I was intrigued. You can trade in your old bag for $10-200, and it is redesigned and reimagined. And you get some money to put towards the purchase of a new bag.
Did you know that there is no such thing as a “second” at Hermes? If any item they make is not Perfect, it goes to the scrap heap where it is re-imagined and recycled and then sold at Hermes Petit ‘h’ which now has a permanent space right next to Hermes in Paris. Advent calendars, toys, bags and more made from the leather scraps and defective Hermes goods.
Movies & TV for Fashion Lovers
This past month designers have been showing their new collections for 2025 from NY to Paris and everywhere in between. For those of us who weren’t able to attend the shows we can get our fashion fix watching one or more of these movies or shows.
BALENCIAGA
A chronicle of the rise of designer Cristóbal Balenciaga from humble origins to fashion icon. You can watch this mini-series
GALLIANO~High & Low
John Galliano was once one of the fashion greats but then his world fell apart in 2011 when he was found guilty of making racists remarks. Galliano~High & Low, “examines the rapid ascent, fall from grace, and journey forward for controversial fashion designer John Galliano.”
Released March 8th.
GIAMBATTISTA VALLI by Cabana Magazine
THE NEW LOOK~DIOR & CHANEL
Speaking of fashion, this month on Ageless Style, Cindy and Brenda featured two amazing women that you will love.
LINKS TO READ+WATCH+LISTEN
The Gilmore Girls is an Endless Display of Comfort Food
How do you and your people process grief?
Everything coming to Netflix Next Month
Looking for a retreat in the Midwest? Check out Destination Kohler! I got married here and I can tell you that everything is fabulous, the food, the golf, the spa and all the rest.
5 Affordable Ways to Create a Stunning Easter Table
10 Landscaping projects to add value to your home.
A front porch makeover on a budget.
Is Someone You Love Suffering in Silence?
In Case You Missed It
Monday I shared my latest read, The Secret French Recipes of Sophie Valroux, and this outfit among other things. I am slowly bringing lighter pieces out of my closet although to be honest I am layering them with sweaters and jackets every other day as the weather swings warm and cold.
This outfit will take you from this March to March, the year round pieces including the shirt, pants, sweater and bag can be switched out and worn with other items in your wardrobe.
Speaking of outfits, did you know that you can follow me on LTK and see all of the outfits and home decor that I share?
If you only make one recipe that I share on the blog I hope it is this one, Classic German Nut Rolls~Nussschnecken. You can mix everything by hand and in no time at all have bakery style nut rolls with your morning tea.
Last but not least, Friday Favorites! Recipes, books, fashion, decor and so much more.
Isn’t this quilted trench coat great? And what about the sling-backs? I love them both!
Spring Finds
Target~Jenny K. Lopez Collaboration
UNTIL NEXT TIME
I hope that you enjoyed Bex Partridge, Botanical Tales, Kurt Vonnegut, Hermes Petit h, and more on Weekend Meanderings.
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Have a great day! Don’t forget to pop over visit my friends Kim and Juliet you can find the links below.
If you missed any of the previous Weekend Meandering posts you can find them all here.
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On My Radar
In the last couple of years I’ve heard about the meterological seasons which I think are more accurate than the current season’s dates. Meterological spring is March, April and May. Summer is June, July and August. Fall, September, October and November, winter December, January and February. Not sure if I could get used to “locking” and “un-locking”?
Good morning, Elizabeth. It was sad to learn of Iris’ passing last night. She seemed ageless and larger than life. I love these ideas about seasons … four seasons is all wrong and the Locking and Unlocking makes sense. It’s the time of year we think we’re headed out to walk the dogs in the sun only to find ourselves soaking wet a few minutes later. This time of unlocking requires patience and good humor. And all these fashion features you’ve linked are perfect for what looks to be like a stay inside weekend. I didn’t know about Coach or Hermes. The bag your showing reminds me of a much coveted coach bag I had in the late 70’s … oh how I wish I still had to reimagine into something even more fabulous now. What a great idea … I love that these brands are doing this and hope more follow suit. Wishing you a happy weekend during this time of unlocking. xo
Elizabeth, hoping your weekend is good and you get to enjoy some more flowers. We still got lots of storms here, but our blooms are flying off the trees because of the weather. I love your discovery of Bex! I have always been intrigued by dry flowers. She’s so talented.
Your rolls look perfect for right now on a rainy afternoon with a cup of tea. The quotes about seasons are so fun aren’t they? Especially the Charles Dickens one -winter in the shade sun hot in the sun. It’s so California..all the time!!
That quilt did trenches really cute and such a smart idea. I sometimes layer my quilted puffer underneath mine.
Hope you’re having a lovely weekend!!
Elizabeth, I forgot to say I think that’s so cool with the Hermes and Coach up cycle programs. At Sanford shopping center by us they have Coachtopia, and it’s all reimagined bags made of scraps!
Hi Elizabeth
Such a great post. I’m just reviving a couple of my mother’s Coach bags ( they were quite elusive in the UK for a long time, so perhaps are more valued here in Europe!) and I’m definitely going to that Hermes shop next time I’m in Paris!
I love your weekly posts,
xxx
Interesting article about the different types of readers. I agree about the seasons. You don’t know what weather to dress for in the morning: winter or spring.
Brenda